A love story

We are in Sóller, at the foot of the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Between the sea and the mountains, in the "orange valley", as we like to call it, with its countless orange and lemon groves that surround us. In the centre of town, on main street, just 10 m from the Plaza de la Constitución. That is where you will find our hotel.

We have renovated the house while preserving its character and charm. Everything has been taken care of with the highest consideration for the original architectural style. As a result, the structure blends in seamlessly with the neighbourhood. Inside our hotel, we have kept the legacy of the past while upgrading it to meet today's quality standards so that our guests may have a memorable stay and, we are confident, "connect" with the locals and their way of life.

Its former owners, "Indians" from Sóller (a colloquial word for Spanish emigrants in America who returned with their riches), decided to renovate the entire property around 1910, following the canons of the palatial architecture of the time. In doing so, they sought to move closer to the bourgeoisie of the early 20th century and, at the same time, to write their mutual love in stone, asserting it.

Subsequently, they decided to unite two adjoining dwellings. With this intervention, they managed to “dignify” the façade while integrating it into the urban streetscape. They also added ostentatious ornamental flourishes in conformity with modernist architectural ideas. The message they wanted to convey was simple: to let the town know who lived there and the magnitude of their economy.

All of this work on the façade gave it nobility and character, and an arch was built to frame a spectacular door made of pine and lemonwood, the same materials used in the house's interior woodwork. The façade was edged with red marble, so uncommon and valued today. The wrought ironwork of its windows and balconies, combined with traditional Mallorcan shutters, gave it a one-of-a-kind appearance that conformed to the aesthetical canons of the time.

We have tried to preserve the character of everything we have restored, such as the staircase painted in the colours of the Spanish flag, the cistern adjacent to the old kitchen, the ceiling tiles, the hydraulic floors, and so on. We also salvaged the walls lined with the original wallpaper, on which one can still read the date of construction, the wood-burning stove, and a plethora of other objects.

The former office of the "hereu" (the heir), dominated by a plaster arch, with his initials still visible on the glass panes, is now our reception area. The table where the heir sat when he dealt with the locals to pay them for their labour in the fields is still there.

Around 1960, the "hereu" died, and his wife chose to permanently close the house, which they had built for the two of them. 

In 2018, we decided to reopen this "big box of surprises" and show it to anybody who wanted to see the house and learn about its history and architecture.

We found the house with all the original furnishings, fixtures, and fittings, which made us decide to initiate the house's second major renovation, converting it into a boutique hotel. Our plan has always been to restore the house's uniqueness and transform it into a delightful little charmer in the centre of Sóller. Our main concern was to preserve the characteristic historical features of the building and, at the same time, bring it up to modern standards. In other words, to give it a contemporary twist and make it utterly comfortable and welcoming while preserving its essence.

Throughout the entire house, including in the guest rooms, one can still find signs of what the house looked like when they first built it. We refer to the tiling on the ground floor, which is vivid green and red. We should also mention the original woodwork, the handmade glass and the eye-catching wallpaper on the walls, which displays the house's building year. The Catalan vaults, beams, hydraulic floors and ceilings, and the old kitchen (where the piano stands) with its cistern and stone pikes are other interesting original features. Everywhere in the house, there are reminders of the place and the time when the former owners lived there. The same is true of the guest rooms, each individually designed. In short, the whole house is a living sculpture.

Our T.I. (*) hotel is ecologically friendly and saves energy. All of the hotel's hot water, for instance, is supplied using residual energy from the air conditioning. (*) The Interior Tourism (T.I.) label applies to establishments in historical centres that provide tourist lodging in a culturally significant structure.

All of the water we use for flushing toilets and extinguishing fires comes from a separate water circuit that gathers rainfall from our hotel's roof and stores it for this purpose.

Doing so equates to a water savings of around 194,400 litres. We at Unusual are proud to contribute to preserving the environment in this way.

The hotel's total roof covering was renewed, adding more than 15 cm of thermal insulation. As a result, the building was sheltered from the valley of Sóller's dramatic temperature changes, while appropriate HVAC reduced energy consumption.

It's worth mentioning that the new walls of the structure are fitted with a special noise-reducing foil.

The hotel is equipped with cutting-edge fire protection systems to ensure the safety of its guests. A hydrographic paint primer protects the whole structure, and the doors are of superior fireproof quality.

The hotel also has smoke detection and a water-based fire-fighting system in all rooms and common areas.

The safety of our guests is one of our top priorities.

GUEST SERVICES

Dear guest, all of us at the Lluna Aqua Sóller Hotel would like to extend a warm greeting and wish you a pleasant stay.

We are here to provide you with the best service and answer any questions you may have, doing our utmost to make your stay as enjoyable as possible.

Our Guest Manager will make your demands a reality, whether for a taxi or luggage storage, tourist information or restaurant bookings, or any other additional service you may require.

Each room at the Lluna Aqua Sóller hotel is unique, with its distinct personality. All are different but share the same services, which are listed below.

All the rooms include the following amenities: